Also, I had the leaking problems. I could bend my head toward my knees and the fluids would flow. That was embarrassing. I used a twisted Kleenex and stuffed it up both sides of my nose. No one ever knew the difference. Sometimes, you have to improvise.

I also used a script product called Deconomine. Its time-released and worked wonders with me. Your doctor will have to prescribe this for you.

To everyone who has asked about if it’s an allergy. I don’t think it is. I know I caught it from my dad who had a cold, and I’ve had it all week.

However, if I did take an antihistamine when it wasn’t an allergy, would it still help? I don’t use medicine that often since I was raised as a Christian Scientist. We don’t usually use medicine (I know it’s weird, but I’ve never really been more sick than this before).

Taking anti-histamines just like that could do you harm than damage. Home remedies and natural ones are great and do wonders. I do them every time and in the past 3 years I haven’t taken 1 antibiotic or an antihistamine. I deal with all my colds naturally (irrespective of how bad they are and recently I find that I don’t catch them so often… even when everybody around me is sneezing, coughing! Natural defenses? Well, I think yes. Try getting that kind of behavior otherwise!)

So this is what I do:

In the evening, I chop one clove of garlic finely, put it in lukewarm water and gulp it down.

Around night, before going to bed: I take a cup of water (milk if you think it doesn’t affect it). Put ¼th of a teaspoon of turmeric powder in it. Then very nicely chopped ginger pieces (half a teaspoon) and ¼ teaspoon of pepper powder in it. Boil well. Filter everything and drink just the liquid. Go to bed.

Sometimes this doesn’t seem to help with one dose. So I do it again the next day.

Most antihistamines aren’t useful against cold symptoms, except for Chlor-Trimeton (generic versions are available at most grocery stores). However, if your nose is running, I would refrain from using an anti-histamine (except at night when you need to sleep). It is better to blow your nose when it runs and those nasty cold viruses from your body.

Antihistamines (including non-sedating ones like Claritin or Zyrtec), as well as decongestants like pseudoephedrine (Sudafed etc), are temporary remedies. You can’t just pharmacologically dry up your runny nose until the cold is over, because of rebound effect. Instead target just a few hours of the day when it’s most important to relieve congestion. Even then the medications might not work. In my experience the runny nose of colds is at its worst for only 2 or 3 days.